Key to itch-free winter -- lock in the mositure

Make no mistake: Dermatologist Roger Moore of Elkhart doesn't want you to have dry skin this winter.

Nonetheless, he finds the process that causes the "winter itch" interesting.

"It's a really cool phenomenon," he says of the science of the whole thing. (And, apparently, there's no accounting for what dermatologists find cool.)

"The skin is actually supposed to hold moisture in," he explains. "But the outer layer of your skin will get dry when the humidity goes down. So in the winter, the humidity usually drops and your skin gets dry and the lack of moisture often leads to itching."

The key to keeping skin soft is to preserve the moisture of the outer skin. This is especially important for two groups of people -- those 50 and older because skin dries with age, as well as babies and children, who have more exposed surface area because their heads are bigger in proportion to their bodies.

This allows moisture to escape more readily, Moore says, so parents should especially moisturize childrenÃ­s hands, ears and cheeks.